Matt Kenseth winning car at New Hampshire fails NASCAR post-race inspection
By Ted Fleming
Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota will face further scrutiny this week at NASCAR’s R&D Center in Concord, NC.
NASCAR announced that the Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota failed a post-race inspection after Matt Kenseth had a late race surge to capture the New Hampshire 301 on Sunday at the Louden track.
The sanction body said Kenseth’s car “did not meet compliance in the laser inspection station (LIS)” and as a result it will be taken to NASCAR’s Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina for further scrutiny.
In addition, while Tony Stewart’s No. 14 passed the LIS after finishing second, his car will also be taken to the R&D for the same screening. NASCAR did not elaborate on why Stewart’s Chevrolet was included in the additional analysis.
The three remaining top-five finishers — Joey Logano (3rd in the No. 22), Kevin Harvick (4th, No. 4) and Greg Biffle (5th, No. 16) — along with a random selection (Ryan Newman, 7th, No. 31), all passed.
Kenseth pulled away from the field after the final restart and won the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway handily, even as Stewart was trying to chase him down. It was his second victory of the season and his spot in the chase is assured.
This specific violation generally carries a limited fine and deduction of 15 driver points, although there is still a possibility Kenseth will be stripped of the victory, thereby giving Stewart the win (assuming his car is cleared by the R&D Center).
Unofficially, with his second win Kenseth is fourth in the Sprint Cup standings. Stewart, while currently 11th, must be in the top 30 in points to make the Chase even though he has already registered a win. He has 287 which is just 13 points ahead of David Ragan in 30th, so anything he can add to his total would give him a little more breathing room.